BELL COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Belton residents who get their water from Dog Ridge Water Supply Cooperation are experiencing repeated outages, with some suspecting retaliation for speaking out about previous water issues. Darlene Travis, who cares for retired law enforcement horses, must make 30 trips to Nolan Creek to haul water when outages occur, expressing concern about the health of her animals.
- Residents served by Dog Ridge Water Supply Cooperation in Belton are experiencing repeated water outages
- Darlene Travis, who cares for retired law enforcement horses on her property, must make 30 trips to Nolan Creek to haul water when outages occur.
- Dog Ridge Water Supply representatives declined to comment on the outages, boil water notices, or allegations of retaliation
Watch the full story here:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Residents who get their water from Dog Ridge Water Supply Cooperation in Belton are experiencing repeated outages, with some believing it's retaliation for speaking out about previous water issues.
"It was immediately the next day after you guys ran the story we were out of water and I was like there is no way this is a coincidence," said Patrick Morrow.
Last week, 25 News reporter Dominique Leh reported about Belton residents who often go days without water. The very next day, several people reached out informing 25 News they were without water again, with many suspecting it was retaliation for speaking out.
For Darlene Travis, these outages mean extra work to care for her retired law enforcement horses.
"These guys are the main reason I'm speaking out, they're retired law enforcement horses, and this is their retirement home," Travis said.
For five years, Travis has provided a home for these retired service animals, but maintaining their health has become increasingly difficult due to unreliable water service.
"I have no idea when the water is going to be off, what kind of pressure I'm going to have," Travis said.
Travis receives water from Dog Ridge Water Supply Cooperation and says she's either constantly under a boil water notice or doesn't have water at all. This leaves her with one challenging option:
"I have a bucket and I live near Nolan Creek so I have to haul water," Travis said.
She and her son must make 30 trips to fill a container that hydrates the horses. Even with this effort, she worries about their health.
"These guys have sensitive digestive systems, and to knowingly give them water that might make them sick is really hard for me," Travis said.
Travis says she's been fined multiple times for her water usage for the horses, particularly during water restrictions in 2023. As a result, Dog Ridge installed a regulator on her meter. She describes a persistent lack of understanding and transparency from the water supplier.
"Bell County can't do anything about it. It's extremely frustrating to have things that are so important to you controlled by a very close knit related group of people. When anybody questions, it definitely feels like there's retaliation," Travis said.
When contacted about the ongoing water outages, boil water notices, and allegations of retaliation, Dog Ridge representatives declined to comment, stating they don't speak with reporters.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
